a.) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to baby bottle supports. More particularly, it relates to baby bottle supports which are drapable about the neck of a person holding an infant, and which can releasably position a baby bottle in a nursing position for the infant being held. It also relates to such baby bottle supports which may be used to hold other baby accessories.
b.) Discussion of the Prior Art
In nursing an infant with a baby bottle, it is conventional for a person, to hold an infant in one arm and to support the nursing baby bottle with the hand of the other arm. In the prior art, there have been many different types of baby bottle holders which support a baby bottle in a nursing position. Some of these baby bottle holders have been devised to hold baby bottles in a manner that will minimize the attention required by the person feeding the infant during the feeding process. Under the foregoing circumstances, in order to free at least one hand of the person many prior art baby bottle holders have been devised which include flexible or rigidly formed encircling members adapted to extend around the neck or to be suspended from one shoulder of the person holding the infant. Such baby bottle holders, for example, as described in Mahoney U.S. Pat. 2,924,413; Liebendorfer U.S. Pat. 3,065,944 and McClure U.S. Pat. 4,718,623, involve various devices which encircle or otherwise engage a baby bottle in a depending relationship from the encircling member.
Additionally, some prior art baby bottle holders have been devised to support a baby bottle in various positions adjacent to the infant who is to consume the contents of the baby bottle. For example, many types of such baby bottle supporting devices have been devised to be supported upon a pillow which is placed adjacent to a reclining infant. Other devices have been designed to be suspended from transverse straps and elongated members extending between the opposite sides of a crib or other support mechanism.
None of these prior art baby bottle supports provide a baby bottle holder which can be used by a person holding an infant in one arm to support a baby bottle in a depending manner from the neck of such a person while freeing the other arm and hand of such a person.